Expert-Panel Accreditation Evaluation-Practices: An Autoethnographic Case-Study in Spain

Abstract

Accreditation is defined by the European Higher Education Area qualityassurance agencies as a key element in quality management and continuous improvement in university teaching-learning processes, and is an institutional practice that started to be developed in 2014 in Spain where there is evident a oversizing of the quality assurance agencies for higher education. This paper illustrates the case of the Community of Madrid Quality Agency, as a case-study analysis through my experience as a panel member for the accreditation of higher-education qualifications. Methodologically, it is based on an autoethnographic approach and uses the theory of symbolic interactionism to reveal and analyse the evaluative process and culture. For this purpose, two analytical axes were drawn: student learning-outcomes and the value of the human resources assigned to the degree in terms of their academic research, both criteria which the quality agencies consider to be critical for a favourable final report. The interactions of the expert panel at the different stages of the accreditation consideration-process, based on these two criteria, are presented with the aim that future case studies will test them in the context of collaborative learning, helping to achieve the greatest possible academic rigor in the accreditation process. Key-words: Accreditation, Agentification, Evaluative Cultures, Peer Review, Learning Outcomes.